A Hero's Not Fit For Love
by Mega T22
Summary: "Spike the Dragon... That innocent, young hero... Always risking it all for some insignificant life or another... I guess that's how they know me. How they'll... remember me. But that's not who I am; at least... not anymore." Spike, The Exiled
1. A Hero's Lament (Chapter 1)

Quick AN ~ **Author's Note:**

I've had this idea saved for like years, and figured now was as good as ever to get it done. Sorry if things seem rush or pushed around, but the pace will calm down as the story goes on; I simply did not want to write a prequel that would likely span 50,000 words, or make this first chapter immensely long, as it was intended to be a oneshot.

Oh boy! Am I gonna have to do TTD ~and~ this story now? Nice job setting yourself up, dummy xD

 _"Anyways, lemme know if you guys would like it to be left off of here, or be continued, as I've left it off in a way that could be a complete story, or an incomplete one. The readers are the deciders! If not, then it shall stay complete."_ Lies. I've made the story too immerse, too story-filled to leave it as a oneshot. As such, I will continue it inevitably.

 **Special thanks to my editors SShonix and DivineLioness27! Links to their accounts on is on my page.**

Don't forget to do some R&R, authors always love it! Mega T22 out ^-^

* * *

 **A Hero's Lament**

Spike stood across from a larger, more bulkier dragon ahead of him. It was red, and looked menacingly intimidating, as they circled each other. Spike had grown past his puny days, and was now a teenage dragon – although he was about 24 years of age, dragons did age differently after all – and was much more built and taller than before.

He now stood over the height of the average pony, and was quite muscular and toned, albeit still lightweight. He stood against the enemy dragon, in the middle of the Ponyville streets, full clad in golden Royal-Guard armor. Over his right shoulder was a small lavender cape that only spanned across a quarter-length of his back. Upon it, was Twilight Sparkle's cutie-mark, showing Spike's allegiance, as well as authority, as only champions of the royal guard were granted royal capes. Princess Twilight Sparkle had finally established her kingdom in Ponyville, and Spike was the only member of her guard. He was also the hero of the fair town, ever since evil had been stepping its game up. In his right hand was a spear, in the left, a gilded shield strapped to his wrist.

"Brother, are you poisoned? Contaminated by such folly? Do you not see that these ponies and creatures are nothing but food? Brother, cure your plagued eyes!" the dragon reasoned, as Spike circled around the street with him, holding a spear, one of his many weapons, within his hand, aimed at the hostile dragon.

"Me? Plagued? You're something else! You've got no right to call me brother!" Spike said in response, as the dragon ran at him on all fours. It was much larger than him, maybe nearly four times larger. "Bah! Talking to you is useless!" the dragon grumbled, running at Spike.

The dragon headbutted the unsuspecting Spike; Spike was just barely able to dodge the horns on his head, but still took the impact, sending him crashing into the side of a building, cracking and levelling its foundation as screams were heard within the house. Spike stood up, disoriented, as he spotted a few ponies run in to help the family inside.

Spike shook his head and fastened his helmet, feeling the pain of that impact. "So I see you want to do this the hard way then, huh? Ever heard of Spike the Dragon, bud? You're barking up the wrong tree." Spike said in a confident manner that nearly came off as arrogance.

"You? You're so puny! Are you implying that you'll defeat me? Bah, I'll devour you with the rest of this puny town." The dragon laughed, as ponies backed away from the two.

Spike smiled softly, and looked at the dragon. "Do you really want your last words to be such high expectations?" Spike asked.

The dragon chuckled and dragged its foot across the ground, breathing smoke from its nostrils. "I'll just maim you with this one, so you may watch as I do with this town as I see fit." The dragon said, running at Spike again.

Spike's body glowed a faint pure-white magical aura, as he sheathed his spear and sword on his back, lurching forward with both hands out to combat the dragon.

As the dragon met with him, Spike crashed into it, sliding back only a few feet. He pushed back with amazing strength, both hands on its horns, as he slowly pushed the dragon back. The dragon strained, staring on at Spike with wide eyes, surprised that the lightweight and small dragon was so powerful.

Spike's muscles bulked in strain, as he pulled the dragon's horns down, and then abruptly kneed the dragon's chin, still holding onto the horns. In an instant, the horn's snapped off, as the dragon collapsed on its back from the powerful knee. It roared in pain, having his forehead-bones snapped off.

" **You'll pay, you cretin!** " the dragon roared, as it rolled over, and sucked up a large breath, preparing to roast Spike. Spike tossed aside the two horns, watching the dragon intently.

Spike jumped back into the air, hovering, as he too, sucked in a large breath, preparing to release the fiery magic within.

The red hostile dragon released its fiery breath, as it nearly engulfed Spike. However, as Spike released his own, it was much larger, hotter, and more powerful than the enemy dragon's own, as Spike's fire engulfed the red dragon's own flame, as well as the dragon itself, probably searing his flesh.

The dragon's roars could be heard inside the flame, as Spike landed, black smoke filtering from his mouth. The roars slowly stifled, as the fire died down, and the dragon was seen lying on the ground, defeated, as flames were on several parts of its body. It was scarred and blackened. The usual look for another foolish pawn of evil that decided to challenge Spike the Hero's town.

Spike walked upon the dragon's belly, standing on its upper-chest just below its neck, as the dragon forced itself to look upon the green, scaly hero that defeated it.

"B-brother…" the dragon gasped. "We can help each other… These ponies would be no match for you… We could be so powerful, together, broth-" the dragon began, but was silenced as Spike unsheathed the spear from his back and held the point towards the dragon. The blade of the spear was jet-black metal, designed for cutting power, as dragons were known to have tough skin and rock-hard scales.

"You have no right to refer to me as a brother. We may be genetically the same, but mentally and morally, you are flawed. You and I both know the anatomy of a dragon; you can live just as well on greens and gems. Your useless crave for meat is a plague to this world, and I am the cure." Spike preached, as he took the spear and jammed it into the throat of the dragon, as the dragon thrashed for just a few seconds, its breath whistling with the new hole in its throat. As it finally drew its last breaths, Spike took the bloodied spear out, as the red liquid sprayed on him.

Disgusted, Spike quickly jumped off before more could touch him. He coughed and spat. "Ewgh! Disgusting! I think I just swallowed blood that's not even mine!" he complained out-loud. Twilight Sparkle, his mother, employer, and princess, had finally arrived on the scene, scoping out the situation. She wore her crown, and looked a bit more physically mature, as an Alicorn should.

"Spike! Sheesh, that dragon decided to attack, huh?" Twilight asked, running up to Spike and inspecting him for any injury.

"He sure did. Wasn't nothing the good 'ol Hero of Ponyville couldn't handle though." He said, with a smile, as he rubbed his nose. "Say, wanna help me drag the body to the woods and bury it? If it rots here, it's gonna smell atrocious." Spike said. "Besides, I got a little something to talk about, if that's okay?" Spike proposed.

"Um… Sure, but can we make it quick? Royal duties and such, I've gotta file some reports for Luna." Twilight said, as Spike dragged the body out by the stubs of horns, and Twilight helped with her magic.

As they were in the outskirts of the city, headed towards the Everfree Forest to bury it, Twilight popped the question.

"So, what'd you wanna talk about, 'lil 'ol Spike?" Twilight asked, as they slowly dragged the body further and further.

"It's about Rarity…" Spike said quietly. Twilight inwardly groaned, a bit too loud, as Spike noticed, but decided to ignore it.

"Continue…" Twilight said, as she focused on dragging the body between the trees.

As they brought the body in one sunlit area within the forest, Spike decided to continue, finally dropping the body off at the side, as Twilight used a spell to shred a hole into the earth.

Spike dug into his blood-stained armor, and from it, withdrew a small elegant box. Spike opened it, as a beautiful and brilliant, violet-amethyst bracelet shone from within. The violet hue was the same as Rarity's mane. There was also a small note within the box's upper interior, which read, "Will You Marry Me?"

"Spike…?" Twilight asked, her mind racing, as her heartbeat's rate increased exponentially, as she stopped the process of burying the body immediately. She could barely hide the smile slowly creeping upon her lips. A heavy blush grew on her cheeks. "A-a-a-aren't you s-supposed to y'know… Kneel and stuff?" Twilight asked in an extremely quiet voice with a small, gleeful giggle.

"This is for Rarity. I want to ask her to marry me." Spike said, seemingly not noticing Twilight's actions and behavior as he stared down upon the box that was showing towards Twilight.

Twilight looked at him, wide-eyed. Her features turned to one of disappointment. She quickly regained her professional/motherly behavior, and turned back to work on dragging the body in the newly dug hole. As she dug, however, she kept silent, thinking. Spike got nervous, as he knew that their minds were both likely on the same thing… His relationship with Rarity was quite complicated; despite them have been living together for nearly 9 months. It was all _her_ fault, but that didn't stop Spike from loving Rarity. He had pursued Rarity for years, after all! That wasn't an investment he was willing to give up, even with clear evidence of her endeavors.

"So?" Spike asked, worried by Twilight's silence. He didn't want her to bring up _that_ point. As Twilight dragged the body in and earthed it in an instant with her magic, she turned to Spike, her brows furrowed.

"Spike… Are you sure you want to move so quickly? I mean, you know how Rarity's been lately." Twilight said. "Who's to say she won't tarnish the marriage with her silly antics?" Twilight asked, with a frown. Spike shied away, not really wanting to agree with Twilight. However deep down, something begged to differ…

"Look, I understand why she did what she did, okay? I was gone for weeks on heroic duty. Rarity is a girl who needs sexual release, and I'm fine with that." Spike said. "It doesn't mean I can't marry her." Spike finished.

Twilight face-hoofed. "Look, Spike, don't lie to yourself, or me. I emphatically remember you saying that she was developing a romantic relationship with her, _behind your back_!" Twilight said in a sort of frustration, forcing the words, as Spike winced when she said the last three words.

Spike looked down, suddenly interested in his blood-stained golden royal-guard armor, as he stayed silent.

"Look, Spike, I'm worried about _you_. We may have been good friends fifteen years ago, when the Elements of Harmony were still frequently needed, but now that we've grown more mature, I've learned to not hold my tongue on matters such as this: Rarity is a flirtatious and seductive woman that can get what she wants when she wants. And now that she's becoming duplicitous, I want to save you the inevitable pain that will happen if you become engaged with her in matrimony." Twilight said. Spike looked up, slightly hurt from hearing Twilight speak her thoughts.

"Look Spike, I raised you… I would like to believe I know what's best for you… You should hold off on the proposing." Twilight said solemnly.

"B-but Twilight…! I love her…" Spike said, sadness evident on his voice.

"But does she love you? Does she truly love you the way you love her? Think, Spike! Who goes behind your back like that when you're off on royal duty to protect the kingdoms of Equestria? You may have been dating for a couple years, and living together for months, but just think what'll happen. I can't protect you any longer Spike, we both know how territorial you can be… What'll you do if you catch her again? Surely, we can't risk another occurrence like that…" Twilight asked. Spike looked off in thought, as his thoughts returned to one fateful day…

[ _Flashback_ ]

Spike returned from his 4-day trip, as per royal duty. Weird disturbances in Griffinstone called for his appearance, and true enough, evil was involved: some demon that escaped from Tartarus was attempting a rise in power; didn't work, not when Spike got involved. He would have to leave again shortly to go see why the Cerberus couldn't hold him, but he wanted to see his beloved first.

As he opened the door to the house, he swore he heard lots of movement and shifting upstairs, and then silence.

"Rarity, honey! I'm home! Not for long though, I just thought I'd stop by to say hello and pick up some things for my trip to the Gates of Tartarus." Spike called out, slipping off his backpack. He decided to keep on his armor, since it would soon be time to depart.

"Is it alright if I come up, babe?" he asked in a soft shout upstairs, as he started to ascend the stairs.

"N-no! It's not! I'm… doing something!" Rarity yelled down.

"What could you be up to that couldn't warrant my presence?" Spike asked with a soft chuckle, as he bounced up the stairs one-by-one. Ever since they had begun to live with one another, seeing her in the privacy of their home was always a great joy.

"I'm changing, Spike! I'm naked, don't come in!" he heard Rarity yell. Spike raised a brow, and laughed it off, putting his hand on the doorknob.

"As if I haven't seen you naked before, hun. Come on now, I'm not a pervert." Spike said behind the door, before opening it.

As he opened it, he saw Rarity frantically trying to push another mare, an earth pony, into the closet. As he entered, he looked at the two strangely, while the other two stared back frantically. Rarity's mane and hair, as well as the other mare's own, was frizzled and untidy, as if they were ruffling around.

Spike's eyes fell on the condition of the bed: untidy sheets, wet stains clear for the eye to see, and the mattress was very unaligned, and nearly falling off of the majestic divan.

Spike's eyes widened, as he stared at the fearful, heaving chests of Rarity and the other red-colored mare. He pieced things together very quick, as he closed the door behind him, his brows bent in a mixture of anger and some other flaring emotion.

"S-Spike…! W-what're you doing home s-so early, honey…?" Rarity said, forcing the honey part on. The guilt in her voice was clear as glass.

"Rarity, who is that, and what are you up to?" Spike asked, his arms crossed, as he stood by the door, blocking their exit. The window was clear for escape, but he doubt they'd go that far, seeing as how neither could fly in a moment's notice.

Rarity sighed heavily and simply sat down on her behind, using her tail to cover her privates. "L-look, Spike… I didn't mean any harm…!" Rarity said, with her puppy-dog eyes.

Spike ignored her. His eyes turned to the red-mare. "You, come here." The tall dragon said, gesturing her over. She very timidly began to make her way over, her tail unconsciously pushing itself between her hind legs.

Spike walked over to the window and took the small stool sitting next to the window, and lifted it back over to the door. He set it in front of the mare, still blocking the door, and looked at her with his tired, slit, emerald-green eyes. He was exhausted from his trip, as he wasn't able to get much sleep over the 2-day travelling battle with the demon.

He now had to deal with this, and his mind and heart raced like crazy. Rarity was cheating! Although he looked calm on the outside, inside was a boiling rage that he felt he soon would lose control of. He noticed that as he grew into an adolescent dragon, those feelings of greed that he once had when he was forced to mature by his selfishness never left. This time though, the greed was in the form of territorial behavior. He liked to have what was his exclusively to stay his unless fairly deemed otherwise.

He stared at the shaking mare. She knew who he was, no doubt. She also most certainly knew that Rarity was his partner, without question. So why would she do this? Was it the first time? Spike's eyebrows bent even more in a nearly uncontrollable inward-anger, as he thought of the worst. Were they building a romantic-relationship? Did they already have one? So many questions that he'd have to find out.

"Spike, please, let's just talk this out…" Rarity said, her lips quivering in nervousness. She knew that Spike got jealous easily, and sometimes his temper rose greatly when she was ever flirtatious with other mares or stallions.

"We're beyond the talking stage Rarity. We both know this." Spike said, peeking past Rarity with his tired, angry eyes. To the red-mare, he was surprisingly calm, but Rarity saw it in his eyes. That anger, that seething, burning anger… He was pissed.

Calmly, Spike began, turning his attention to the red-mare. "Look, I don't care for your name, as I hope to never cross paths with you again. But I'm going to ask some questions, and on order of a champion of the royal-guard, you will answer, clear?" Spike asked in a commanding tone, holding his cape with Twilight's cutie-mark on it for her to see.

The red-mare nodded, not needing physical confirmation to know the Hero of Ponyville.

"Firstly… What's your affiliation with Rarity?" Spike asked in a tenaciously commanding tone.

"Spike, she's just a fri-" Rarity began.

"Stop; I'll speak to you after." Spike said, in interruption.

"Lie to me, and I will not have mercy you on. You look a bit young for me to have to put you through a legal hell, miss, so let's just be honest here, hm?" Spike proposed, using the cliché yet reliable scare-tactic.

The red-mare looked down.

"Now, I'll ask again. What is your affiliation with Rarity?" Spike demanded.

"W-we're just um… S-she's an old love interest… I was the one just before you…" she said honestly. Spike's brows furrowed even further, as thoughts flew into his head, but he couldn't lose his cool, not yet.

"Do you still love Rarity?" he asked. He wanted to know if he had an opponent. She quietly nodded, confirming his question.

"Final question: is this the first time you two have gotten intimate, or has this been going on for some time? If so, for how long?" Spike asked.

"It's been just since you left nearly 5 days ago… I-I thought I'd take advantage of the opportunity and…" the red-mare started, but never finished.

"You are aware that I am this mare's romantic-partner, yes?" Spike asked, as he clasped his hands beneath his chin, miraculously maintaining the seething rage within.

The red mare nodded, guilt and a feeling of conviction encumbering her being.

"Good. Now leave. If I see you here again, this will be much worse." Spike said, kicking the stool aside, as he stepped aside and opened the door for her. Even in this type of situation, he was a gentleman. The way he saw it, he couldn't be angry at her; he would be angry at the woman who actually betrayed him.

The red mare gathered her belongings and stood at the door, briefly eyeing Rarity, before bowing her head and leaving. Spike shut the door and turned his eyes to Rarity.

… Silence …

"Rarity, what the _FUCK_ are you up to?!" Spike yelled, being fed up with her silence.

"I can't believe this shit! Are you fucking kidding me, Rarity? Seriously?" Spike said in disbelief, as he felt his flaring emotion begin to surface. Rarity stayed silent, feeling tears of guilt sting at her eyes.

"You were fucking your ex? Really? We've been living together for 5 months! Rarity, come on, woman! Is this how you treat me? I go out for a few days to go help Equestria cleanse itself of evil, and I'm thanked by this fuckery? Holy fucking hell…" Spike sighed, feeling sadness replace his anger as he sat on the tainted bed his head in his hands. He felt extra-stressed.

"Spike, please, I didn't mean any harm…!" Rarity repeated hopelessly, as she put her hooves around his neck. However, Spike quickly, abruptly, and very forcefully evicted her from his body by punching her away; he had accidentally caught her in the nose, as she slid back on the floor, holding her nose beneath both of her front hooves, feeling the bone shift and blood leak out. She got up and looked at him with a mixture of fear, guilt, and sadness. Spike looked back with surprise, but soon, the anger returned.

"Fuck this, and fuck you, for now. I'm gonna go check up on the Gates of Tartarus and go spend a few days at Twilight's. You upset me Rarity. You've really, really failed me… How will I ever trust you when it's time for me to leave on a trip again?" Spike asked, as he walked over to the side of his bed to grab a few things.

Rarity was quiet as she watched him. "S-Spike, let me make this up to you…" Rarity said, swishing her tail back and forth to set her scent off towards him.

In a fit of anger, Spike took up the lamp from the dresser next to the bed, and smashed it into the wall, cracking the wall and ruining the lamp, as shards of glass flew around the room.

"Don't, you, fucking, even try to seduce me right now, Rarity. Sick of this shit already." Spike said, continuing to grab his things, as he heard Rarity go silent, and the scent stopping.

He was itching to trek through the Everfree to get to the Gates, he _needed_ to fight something to release some stress.

"Stay **away** from that bitch." Spike said bitterly, as he walked past the silent Rarity, who was still holding her nose, tears at the edge of her eyes.

Without another word, he walked out of the door, slamming it behind him so hard that the wood stretched and cracked, as the bolts holding the door fell out of place slightly, causing the door to lean over halfway, so that Rarity was still able to see Spike behind the door.

She watched him walk away, and simply sat on the bed in shame, thinking about her mistake.

[ _Flashback End_ ]

That was only the first time Spike had caught Rarity cheating… The intimacy between him and that red mare continued. Cherry-Top, was her name, he had come to find out the second time he caught them… That time, the abuse was worse. He had, in his fit of rage, back-handed the red-mare, severely bruising her cheek, and he had, accidentally, threw a small container at Rarity, bruising her eye. That time around, the commotion was much more noticeable, and due to complaints of disturbances, Twilight was informed, and he was written up by Twilight for not holding his hand.

The third time, was by-far the worst; prior to catching them in a lie the third time, he dug through some things and found various love letters written between the two. Spike was baffled and appalled when he had found them! He tried his best to keep Rarity happy. He bought her what she wished, and more! He loved her unconditionally, took care of house-chores and maintenance, as well as cooking whenever he was home, and tried his best to be the perfect romantic-partner. Despite that, it nearly seemed he wasn't enough for her.

She had been committing adultery with the red mare, Cherry-Top again. Although the two tried to lie about it, the evidence was clear, and in a fit of rage, he clawed Cherry-Top, injuring her; he also, in a burst of uncontrollable rage at the third time this occurrence happened, let out his fiery-breath on accident, ensuing in a small fire. Bits of the house were scorched away, and severe burns and injuries followed.

Spike was laid off duty and authority for some time due to his reckless behavior; he was also punished by being under house-arrest in Twilight's mansion for 1,600 hours; Twilight deemed it safer to let his anger die out in that time. He could never seem to figure it out. What had he been doing wrong? _Was_ he doing anything wrong? Sure, he left on frequent trips, but it was all in her favor! He wanted to make sure to quell the evil long before it could reach her. However, it seemed that she was ungrateful.

"Spike, I don't want to have to act against you again… I don't want you to be hurt and do something reckless again. I've been preaching this for ages, Rarity's just not for you." Twilight said, ripping Spike from his bitter reminiscing.

"Yeah, but Twi, I work hard for her, and you know that. Besides, it's not like she doesn't love me back. She's just… Confused, or conflicted, yeah! That's it!" Spike said, convincing himself, finally.

"Spike, if you act recklessly this time, you realize that I won't be able to help you, right? As per my decree as a princess, I will be forced to comply with the rules of a ruler and bring you to proper justice. You know what happens when a member of the royal guard is charged with three counts of domestic violence, don't you?" Twilight asked. Spike looked up at her, nodding.

"They get exiled, never to return to pony-civilization, presumably." Spike said, answering her.

"Exactly. Spike, I don't want to see you leave… I lo-, or um! Would lo-ike to think you work better simply as a hero, not a husband. You know, a hero and royal-champion must be dedicated to his people and his princess. I don't think you're a hero fit for another responsibility such as marriage, Spike. Not with her committing such adultery." Twilight spoke. The words, however, missed Spike, as he refused to take her advice.

"I have been pursuing her for _years_ , Twilight. I saved myself for her, gave myself to her, and plan to stay with her. She is everything I work for, Twi. She's what keeps me fighting in those icky situations; she's my strength in situations where I seem to face certain death; she's the mare, despite her betrayals, that soothes me upon arriving home. My life ever since I was old enough to be out of your jurisdiction was protecting the people. The most important of those people is her!" Spike said. In one final try to justify his decision, he spoke up again.

"Look, you have to take chances in life. Will you step, or will you leap? Will you undershoot, overshoot, or hit it just right? You never know, and that's part of life. I am ready for every consequence, and will accept what comes my way." Spike said adamantly.

Twilight sighed heavily. "Good luck then, my hero. I hope you find what you're looking for." Twilight said. "Shall we leave?" she asked.

"One moment." Spike replied, as he knelt on the mound of earth under which the dragon was buried. He knelt on one knee and held his right hand over his heart in a fist, while he bowed his head. He was silent for a few seconds.

"Spike?" Twilight asked, confused at what he was doing. He was silent for another thirty seconds, before finally standing and facing Twilight.

"Despite his flawed vision, as a fellow dragon, he deserves at least my respect to his attempt at a battle. Foolish, I know, but I can't help but feel remorse for my flawed, winged reptiles." Spike said, standing.

"No, not at all; it's actually quite respectful. Anyways, Spike, I'll be off. Royal duties call. Good luck with Rarity, okay?" Twilight said, stretching out her wings.

"Thanks, Twilight. I hope it works out too." Spike said, as Twilight flew off, leaving Spike within the Everfree Forest. He heard wood move around him, as he sighed inwardly, unsheathing a small dagger that laid on the back of his waist.

"Damn timber-wolves… Never learn." Spike sighed, as he prepared to fight his way out of the forest.

In an instant, he burped a green fire, as a letter appeared from thin-air. He grabbed it, and looked at the seal. It was Sweetie Belle's cutie-mark, so it was her, no doubt. With confident expertise, he read the letter, while keeping his other senses on the entities that surrounded him.

" _Spike, it is imperative that you meet me in the Sugarcube Corner in ten minutes! I have very… important news for you. ~ Sweetie Belle_ " It read. It showed a picture of a familiar red-coated mare on the path to his and Rarity's house. He sheathed the dagger, and held the letter with both hands, studying the blurry picture closely, not believing his eyes. He could already feel the anger arise.

He felt a rush of wind behind him, and as he turned he was met by the vicious snapping jaws of a timber-wolf. Using his fore-arm guard, he blocked it, and with a single powerful punch, he obliterated the unsuspecting wolf. Others appeared, and surrounded him.

"Not the time for this! I've gotta run!" Spike said out-loud, deciding he had no time to entertain the creatures. Jumping into the air, he sucked in a large breath, and burned three of the wolves to ashes, clearing a path for himself. The hero dashed away from the wolves, more than capable of outrunning them, his mind set on reaching Sugarcube Corner ASAP.

[ _Nearly 12 minutes later, at Sugarcube Corner_ ]

Spike rushed in. The timber-wolves had proven to be a nuisance, but he made it nonetheless. He looked around, and thankfully, it seemed that Pinkie Pie was too busy to work today. He felt he wouldn't've had the time or the patience to deal with her, not after getting that letter from Sweetie Belle.

He spotted her sitting in a booth off to the side with two plates of two cupcakes for a total of four. He assumed that one plate was for himself, but he didn't feel in the mood to eat. His mind was more focused on finding out what the hell was going on with that picture he just found. He'd really have to keep his cool this time, because this just made his insides boil! On the day he planned to propose, this mare decides to show up again? He had made it very clear the third time that he wanted no trace of her in his property or vicinity.

Sweetie-Belle smiled at him and waved him over as he walked towards the booth. He sat down across from her, setting his spear and shield beneath the table and removing his helmet, placing it on the seat beside him.

Sweetie-Belle looked him up and down, noticing the blood stains that ruined his shiny, gold-gilded armor. "Spike, what happened? Are you okay? Is that your blood, or…?" she questioned.

Spike impatiently replied, "Yeah, some dragon thought it could make the town its feeding place, whatever. Look, why do you need to meet me, and what does that picture mean?" Spike asked, looking at her with his tired eyes.

"Spike, let's talk for a bit first, hm? I haven't seen you in ages ever since the CMC and I have been going on our crusades across Equestria. Aren't you the least bit interested in me?" Sweetie-Belle asked. Spike groaned inwardly; he knew the girl still had a crush on him, but his eyes were for Rarity.

He knew Sweetie-Belle was a quality mare, but he had no eyes for the girl, despite them being very good friends. He'd have to treat this right if he wanted to not hurt her and still get some info on what was going on.

"Of course I'm interested in you Sweetie-Belle! I'm just… very rushed right now. You and I both know this isn't the first time this has happened and I want to make this quick. Look, how long are you staying in town?" Spike questioned quickly.

"I'll be here for at least another week or so before we're set for another crusade." Sweetie-Belle answered.

"Great, look. Can you please, pretty pretty please just tell me what's going on so I can go check it out, and then maybe we can go on a date or something tomorrow so we can catch up? I'm sorry Sweetie-Belle, but today is too special for me to get caught up with you, no offense. Gosh, that sounded horrible, but please understand where I'm coming from." Spike said. Sweetie-Belle frowned, then crossed her front-hooves.

"She just cheats on him all the time anyway! I don't see why Rarity deserves a great partner like Spike, when she doesn't even treat him right. It's not like this is just the first, second, third, or fourth time…" Sweetie-Belle thought to herself, pouting. She would tolerate her older sister's adultery no longer. Sweetie-Belle was of age to speak her mind, and she would do just so.

"How many times, I wonder? How many times do you know that she's done it behind your back? It's not limited to just the times you've caught her, y'know…" Sweetie-Belle said, her pout turning more to an upset frown.

"Tell me, Spike, before I give you the information you seek: what do you see in Rarity? What keeps you coming back every. Single. Time? Because we both know that you know this has happened _multiple_ times behind your back in instances you chose not to confront her about." Sweetie-Belle asked, watching him intently.

Spike's brows furrowed. "Sweetie-Belle, don't test me, today is so very special, and it seems it's already ruined. Can we just finish this up and talk over our date tomorrow?" Spike asked, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

"No Spike, I'm tired of this. I'm tired of watching you run for her all the time. And I know what you're thinking. You're wrong Spike." Sweetie-Belle said. Spike eyed her strangely. "Your approach to "fix" these flaws are wrong. I see the way you operate Spike. Unfortunately, time has not matured you correctly." Sweetie-Belle analyzed.

"What? Sweetie-Belle, what're you on about?" Spike asked with confusion and exasperation.

"Don't you see, Spike? Why are you trying so hard? She's the one fucking up, not you!" Sweetie-Belle spoke, raising her voice ever-so slightly. "Don't you think it hurts? Those who love you, watching you get hurt by an obviously flawed woman, too caught up with her own arrogance to notice the greatness she has, wrapped around her gosh-damned pinky?" Sweetie-Belle began. Before Spike could reply, Sweetie-Belle continued.

"This is what happens _every damn time_ you two go through this crap. You get mad, you hurt someone, you're punished and accept the consequences, you're released, you find out more about the situation, you seclude yourself in depression, and then what happens? **YOU BLAME YOURSELF!** It's not your fault, you idiot! You come back, trying your best to be this better person for her, because for some reason you think you aren't enough, you think somehow, that you don't equate to what she needs, and so, you try harder and harder for her! Spike, **wake up!** Just wake the hell up man!" Sweetie-Belle said, quite loudly this time, grabbing attention from the visitors of the Sugarcube Corner.

Mrs. Cake looked on nervously, ushering her customers back to their own business with small waves and apologies for the disturbances. She hoped Sweetie-Belle would calm down, or she would have to intervene.

Spike watched her with surprised eyes. He should feel angry, furious, invaded and disrespected that she just tried to analyze him like that, but all he could feel was realization… It was true. It was all true. He just stared at her, his pupils shaking ever-so slightly. He didn't realize it, but it was true!

Every time he had finally returned to Rarity, it wasn't with anger or some type of punishment for her betrayal… He simply tried to be a better man. Maybe he truly did think he wasn't enough, and that's why he tried so hard… And boy, did he try hard. He treated her, massaged her, cleaned for her, cooked for her, he _spoiled_ her. He had felt as if his love wasn't enough for her, and tried to improve it for her needs, but he didn't think it was capable. He didn't realize it, but maybe he kept trying because-

"You're scared to lose her. That's why you try so hard, I'd say. You're afraid to lose what you spent all your life pursuing." Sweetie-Belle said. Spike grew a frown, and stood up from the table, preparing to return home, with or without that information. He would find out soon enough anyway.

"I'm going now Sweetie-Belle. I'm sorry I've upset you, but that's _my_ mare, and all I can do is try for her. All my life has been thus far is being a hero, fighting to protect her. Don't think there's much left for me at this point. So I'll try." Spike said simply, putting his spear and shield on his back, as he tucked his helmet under his arms.

Sweetie-Belle stood and grabbed his arm, just as he walked away. Pulling her front hooves around his neck, she pulled him down into a quick kiss, and then quickly shoved a crumpled letter into his chest, pushing him back in a mildly violent manner. "Gosh, you're clueless and ignorant... Forget it." Sweetie-Belle sighed.

"Think of that as a message from me to you; and payment for that letter I stole. I'm sure we're on the same page." Sweetie-Belle said. "Oh, and the picture didn't lie. I spotted Cherry-Top on her way there. Get going, I'm sure you have something to attend to." Sweetie-Belle said, as she trotted over to the table, taking a plate of cupcakes in her mouth. She handed it to Spike. "They were for you. I'll be off now." Sweetie-Belle said to the silent and stunned Spike, as she walked out past him.

Spike was left standing in the bakery, eyes all on him. He cleared his throat, and looked down at the letter. It looked like Rarity's writing.

" _He should be out for a few. He's said he was taking a trek to the red dragon's den before it took off to Ponyville like it threatened. That should leave us for at least a day of fun, honey. Come over soon ~ 3_ " is what the letter read. Rarity hadn't signed it, but there was no other mare he knew with such eloquent and sassy handwriting.

Spike walked out of the Sugarcube Corner, and burned the letter to ashes in the air, as he clenched his fists, walking over to his house swiftly. So much ran through his mind. He walked more furiously, ignoring the greetings and shouts from the citizens he protected.

He had begun to clench his hands so hard that his claws dug into his palm, causing blood to drip off of his knuckles. "Oh Rarity, Rarity, Rarity, what the _fuck_ are you up to?!" he angrily questioned in his mind, going into a speed-walk. He was hoping, hoping ever-so dearly that it wasn't true; that this was some elaborate setup! Words of Sweetie-Belle's echoed in his mind.

" _How many times, I wonder? How many times do you know that she's done it behind your back? It's not limited to just the times you've caught her, y'know…_ " Spike's fists clenched as he remembered. He knew it was true.

" _You're scared to lose her. That's why you try so hard, I'd say. You're afraid to lose what you spent all your life pursuing._ " Yes, he knew it was true, dammit!

He reached the walkway to his house, and was walking down the pebble-covered path hastily. He had to confirm or debunk this!

* _Slam!_ *

As Spike slammed open the door, the first thing he saw was the deal-breaker. Over his counter, he had a view into the living room. On the very same couch that he shared many memories with Rarity, was his love and the mare he hoped to never see again. Rarity was on top of her, as the two stared back at him with fearful eyes. At that moment, the vibrant life in Spike's eyes left immediately, leaving a dull hue in the emerald green slit orbs.

"Spike! Oh goodness Spike, I swear she was just over for um…!" Rarity tried to make an elaborate lie, but it was too late for the apologies and the likes.

At that moment, something in the dragon broke… Shredded to pieces… Something in him imploded into a black-hole, most likely to never be dragged out from its dense prison ever again. Something in him was crushed, his world fell, as his thoughts ran. He wasn't angry, he wasn't furious, and he wasn't rage-fueled as the last three times he caught them. This time, he was just hurt. **Broken**. He felt unwanted. He swallowed the hard lump in his throat, refusing to cry.

The two mares got off of each other and sat on the couch, awaiting what they thought was sure to come.

"You've won, Rarity." Spike said, in a small, scratchy voice. "If you were trying to break me, you've won. This is it." Spike said, as he felt his lips quiver. "If this is how you wanted to treat me for chasing you for over a decade, if this is what you wanted for me trying as hard as I could, you've won." Spike said quietly, as the mood thickened.

"Am I not enough, Rarity?" He asked, leaning over the counter, looking her in the eye. She looked down, avoiding his gaze.

"Do you even love me, Rarity? Or has it all been a lie?" Spike asked again. He chuckled lowly.

"Of course it's been a lie… It's no coincidence that you're suddenly romantically infatuated with her." Spike said, answering his own question, as the two uncomfortably watched him talk to them or himself. His voice was too quiet to tell.

"You win, Rarity. You've won it all." Spike said. He dug into his armor, and withdrew the small elegant box, as well as a keyring with multiple keys on it.

"I'm done." Spike said, as tears unknowingly ran down his face.

"I'm seriously done. Look, here are the keys to our house. They're yours now." Spike said, putting the keys onto the counter. She kept quiet, not knowing quite what to say. Rarity could see that something had indeed changed in the young dragon. He wasn't fighting, he wasn't using profanity, he wasn't being extreme.

"Clearly, Cherry-Top provides a feeling of completion that I couldn't acquire, and that's…" Spike didn't finish. He didn't want to say it was fair. It wasn't.

"Clearly, she can keep you happy, and I cannot. Maybe I was the rebound you needed for happiness. A hero is supposed to be the buttress for his people, I suppose…" Spike said, staring down at the box in his hand. His gaze turned to Cherry-Top.

"Maybe it's the fact that you can be here when I am not. Maybe it is because you are capable to give you 100% of your attention, while half of mine must go to the town. Maybe it is because you are a female, and of the same species. I don't know, but you've won." Spike said, as the bitter tears dripped from his chin.

"You wanted to be back in her life? By all means, she wishes for it to be so, so I won't fight against it anymore. Maybe you are what can keep her happy. Perhaps… Perhaps A Hero's Not Fit For Love. Perhaps that is why you don't love me like I want you to." Spike said, his voice cracking. "Perhaps all my years of pursuance were wasted." He said.

"I'll just gather my things, and be out of your life forever…" Spike said, with a sniff. He only realized he was crying when he felt the heave in his chest. He trudged up the stairs, and stuffed the few belongings he had into a small backpack: of those, included pictures, memories, a few weapons, artifacts, riches, and other things.

What hurt Spike the most was that in the 20 minutes that he took to pack, he returned downstairs to find that Rarity had not moved a muscle. There was no attempt to bring him back. Either she wanted this, or was too lost to even make an attempt to keep him. As he opened the door, he saw the bright light of the day contrast his mood.

In the bright light, he saw the many memories he had. What felt like _real love_ was nothing more than a memory now. He didn't know what went wrong: they seemed so happy when they got back together. Was he truly just a rebound? Did Rarity care nothing for relationships? Did she not know he had chased after her for years, ever since he was just a young dragon at 9?

Whatever the case was, he decided to do what his mind told him… "If you love something, set it free."

He stepped outside of the doorway, listening to the door close slowly from gravity. As he heard the click, that would be it. He would be locked out. There would be no return. Rarity would be… Gone.

* _Click_ *

That was it.

He couldn't fight to cage her anymore. Rarity was not his. She was a free woman, free to do what she wanted. If that mare could keep her happy, then he was simply not needed there. His services and effort would be better staying as a hero.

"Yes, as a hero… I trained hard to become a champion so that I might protect Equestria from what the Elements of Harmony no longer could protect from. That is my purpose… That is my new purpose…" Spike said.

In the silence of the walkway that lead to the house that was once his, he made a silent vow. A hero was a tool, nothing more: an instrument that was used to protect the people. He would use himself as the shield of the defenseless, in utter disregard for his life. He would fight, day and night, to quell evil now. Maybe then, maybe then…

" **Maybe then, you would die quicker? So that you may quell this pain? How selfish.** " A voice in his head spoke. He ignored his subconscious.

Spike stood in there in the walkway, feeling lost. He didn't know where to go. He just left behind Rarity. He just left behind his _home_. She was all he fought for, he thought… Where would he go? Where could he go…?

[ _Several Hours Later…_ ]

Twilight trotted past the lanes that lead down to Spike and Rarity's house. She wanted to check up on him, see if the proposal went alright and things. As she was trotting, she spotted Spike standing on his walkway, staring into the night sky. He had dried and crusty white residue on his face, and his eyes were red. He held his helmet under his arm still, and stood, motionless. In his other arm, was the small bag, full of belongings.

Twilight trotted up and tapped him. He looked down at her. "Spike, are you okay? Have you been crying? Your eyes are red." Twilight said with worry.

"No…" Spike said simply, clearing his throat, and making his voice normal. "The night-sky must be messing with your eyes, Twilight." Spike said, as he walked off, putting his helmet on, as to cover his face. Swiftly, he wiped the residue off of his face.

"How did the proposal go? I bet Rarity was ecstatic!" Twilight said, trotting beside him. She had no idea where they were headed.

"I didn't propose. A hero is supposed to have his life dedicated to the people, not _a_ person, after all." Spike said, looking forward, his chin raised high. He refused to look down. He refused to remember.

"What? But you were so adamant about it!" Twilight said in confusion. "Something must've happened. Did she reject you, Spike?" Twilight asked. Spike was silent, as they both arrived at Twilight's castle, which didn't loom far from the Everfree Forest.

Spike stood there, silent. He looked upon the castle. "Twilight, do you have a mission for me? Perhaps, a disturbance that needs to be checked. Maybe, just something to distract me?" Spike requested.

Twilight thought for a second. "Funny that you mention it. Celestia actually did write me today saying that due to a silly accident with the Cerberus, 12 creatures escaped from the Gates of Tartarus: a few demons, witches, ghouls, and the like." Twilight said. "Why do you ask?" Twilight asked.

"I will take care of it. I will depart immediately. Do you have any leads?" Spike questioned.

"Wait what? Nuh-uh, no way am I letting you leave in the dead of the night. Have you eaten, at least?" Twilight asked. Spike was acting funny, and she didn't know why.

"It doesn't matter. A hero is merely an instrument, meant to protect. I will serve my purpose, Princess." Spike said solemnly.

Twilight's face grew serious. Something was wrong with Spike, and she needed to know. "Spike, look at me." Twilight ordered. Spike stood still, looking on at the castle.

"Spike, this is your Princess, ordering you, my guard, to look me in the eye. Now." Twilight ordered again. Reluctantly, Spike looked down, and Twilight could immediately recognize the pain in his eyes.

"Spike, what happened? Did Rarity reject you, or not?" Twilight asked.

"It's not her fault, Twilight. It's mine. Maybe it's because I always leave on frequent trips to fight for Equestria. Or maybe, it's because I can't fully dedicate myself to her, as I am a hero. Perhaps it was because A Hero's Not Fit For Love, and I simply was not deserving of receiving, or capable of returning, Rarity's love. Clearly, Cherry-Top will please her better than I could wish to." Spike said, giving a hard stare at Twilight. He spoke clearly and strongly, refusing to let his emotion show.

He was a hero now; a soldier; a pawn, meant to protect and serve, not to love and cry. Any feelings like that were to be suppressed now. That was all he was, all he would ever be. In the long life that was sure to come with his draconic ability, he would dedicate his effort to just being a hero. Nothing more, nothing less.

Twilight's face grew furious. "What did Rarity do?! Oh, that…! She's gonna get it!" Twilight said in anger, trotting off back towards the house. Spike stopped her, and shook his head.

"It's fine, Twilight. I am a hero. I wasn't built to love, or be loved. I was built to protect. Maybe Rarity was the key to realizing that I'm just not fit for love. Twilight, as your hero, I request that you stand down." Spike said. Twilight eyed him, and sighed, stopping in her tracks.

"Spike, you're not just some property, or tool. You're a living being, you're allowed to feel too!" Twilight said in a sort of plea.

"No, Twilight. One of the things I learned in the Royal-Guard is that romance is a dangerous game when you serve Equestria. I've learned this. It's something that can rip you apart, something that is so comforting, yet holds the potential to crush you." Spike said.

"I cannot risk your kingdom for such idiotic, useless feelings, Twilight. I will be what I was meant to be, and feel what I am meant to feel: a drive to protect, and that's all I will ever do, understood?" Spike said, in a solemn tone, looking down at Twilight with hard eyes.

He could try to hide it all he wanted, but Twilight knew he was just acting tough to numb the pain. She could see it in his eyes, and her intuition was top-notch. She knew what Spike was up to, but decided to play along until she had a chance to personally strangle Rarity with her words.

"So… Like I was asking before: do you have any leads on the creatures that escaped?" Spike asked.

"No…" Twilight said, lying. She didn't want him to leave, ill-equipped to risk his life because he was simply hurt.

"Then I will leave and find my own leads, Princess. I shall return in a few days." Spike said abruptly, marching off with only his belongings and armor on his back.

Twilight didn't try to stop him, she knew it was useless. Maybe when he slew the evil creatures, he would calm down, and rationalize… Maybe that, or maybe he would at least listen to her.

"Rarity, you're so damn lucky I don't have time for you right now." Twilight cursed under her breath, as she trotted into her castle.

[ _Several Days Later…_ ]

Twilight was in her castle, attending to her studies, when her she received four letters, all in quick succession. One from the Princess Sisters, one from her brother, Shining Armor, and his wife, Princess Cadence. She set them all aside to read later, not even bothering to look at the subject written on the front.

Suddenly, her desktop piled with letters, hundreds, probably. All she could see through the subjects were things such as "Your Hero's Rogue!", "Stop Him!", "Princess, Fix Your Champion!", and "He's Gone Too Far!".

Perplexed by the sudden happening, she quickly dug through her desktop for the letters from the four higher authorities, and quickly opened them. Skimming through them, she found that Spike had apparently… Burned large portions of vital land, caused immense fires, caused property damage, and even injuries to citizens of Canterlot and the Crystal Empire. That didn't seem right, Spike would never hurt others!

Twilight's heart thumped. Domestic violence such as this would surely result in an exile for Spike!

Another letter came through, this time a personal one from Princess Celestia, signed by her sunprint.

" _Princess Twilight, I regret to inform you that I, as well as my sister, your brother, and your step-sister are personally on the way to pass judgement on Spike the Dragon for his actions. The people are not happy with his most recent actions apprehending the creatures he apparently pursued, and wish to have an example made of him. I am arriving within the hour along with the guards to apprehend him. If you wish to help him, I would not be surprised. He is, after all, a sort of child to you, and maybe something more, as you would lead me on to believe. However, I should make it clear that if you do support him, you too, will be apprehended, my colleague. That is all: the others will arrive some hours after I. ~ Princess Celestia_ " is what the letter read.

Twilight dropped the letter and began to hyperventilate, a bad habit she still had when faced with a stressful situation. She paced her quarters, thinking. What in the world did Spike do?!

After a few minutes of pacing, it hit Twilight! Spike was fighting recklessly, letting out all his anger, probably, and went too far! That idiot! Now she'll be left to try and fix this impossible mess.

[ _Some hours later, with Spike…_ ]

Spike was on the outskirts of the Everfree Forest, finally returning from the last demon. He was hurt, his body ached, and he was bruised all over. He had blood and cuts on various parts of his body, his armor was cracked and further bloodied, and he looked severely injured. He walked with a limp, and was very weak.

He didn't care though. This was the life of a hero; he gave himself to protect the people. If he couldn't do right for Rarity's love, he could at least do this, and keep the people safe. Though he may have gone a bit overboard, those demons needed to be apprehended then and there, and he did just that.

He tightened a white bandage on his arm that was covering a bite wound he received from one of the demons. The bandage was stained red. Spike looked horrible, and had tired bags under his eyes.

As he trudged into Ponyville, he noticed that citizens gave him hateful and anxious/curious looks. He was confused at the change in attitude towards him, especially after what he went through to protect them. He also noticed that new faces were in the city.

As he entered the middle of Ponyville, he noticed that there seemed to be a gathering. He spotted Princess Celestia and Princess Luna immediately. Next to them, was Princess Twilight Sparkle, Shining Armor, and Princess Cadence. They were accompanied by several royal-guards.

What was the occasion, he wondered. As he trudged on forward, still injured, eyes slowly landed on him, and the group cleared a large path for Spike, as all fell silent. Twilight saw him first, her eyes going wide.

"Dammit, I'm out of time!" Twilight cursed under her breath.

Celestia walked down the path and faced Spike from a distance. "Spike the Dragon, are you aware of the danger you've put our people in?" Celestia questioned, getting right into business.

Spike shook his head, too tired to speak.

"Very well. We may discuss this in a more professional setting then. You are to come under custody of the Royal-Guard, Spike. You are under several counts of domestic violence. If you come quietly, we may be able to have mercy." Princes Luna said, in her booming royal Canterlot voice.

Spike was confused and appalled. Why was he about to be punished? Had he not done them a service? "I'm confused. Did I not rid Equestria of the evil that was sure to arise?" Spike questioned, backing away as guards prepared to apprehend him.

"That's not the point, Spike. We talked about this in your training regime: under no circumstances is a member of the Royal-Guard to fight in a way that would bring harm to others unless absolutely necessary. Whatever you did, it was far from necessary. The scorched lands and buildings are a testament to that." Shining Armor spoke, walking among the guards that began to surround Spike.

"I feel threatened and I feel that your actions are becoming unjustified. I will defend myself." Spike warned, eyeing the soldiers that surrounded him. He refused to be apprehended for this. The citizens watched intently, as murmurs spread across them.

"He's lost it! Gone rogue, I tell ya!" a stallion yelled.

"I didn't think the Hero of Ponyville was so reckless! He needs to be made an example before he causes more damage!" a mare exclaimed

"He thinks he's beyond the law now! Show him different!" another stallion hollered.

"Spike, please, don't make this worse on yourself. You're my sister's best friend, I wouldn't like to see you made a criminal." Shining Armor said, at the head of the guards that surrounded him.

"I will not yield." Spike said.

Shining Armor sighed, and shot a magical blast towards him. The beam encumbered him greatly, as it enveloped his body. Shining Armor galloped towards him swiftly.

Spike, with his own magical ability that he gained over his adventures, broke the free from it with his own pure-white magical aura. He ducked beneath Shining Armor and tossed him towards the back.

Two guards approached from behind. One shoulder bashed Spike to the ground, right on his bite-wound, causing him to yell in pain. As Spike was on the floor, the other mounted him, attempting to shackle his hands. With a powerful kick to the chest, the stallion flew far back off of Spike.

In an instant, before things could get any ickier, Spike was lifted into the sky by a lavender-colored magical aura, one he could not break free from. It was too powerful for him. He looked down, and saw the embarrassed Twilight constricting his movement.

"Twi, come on! You know this isn't right!" Spike groaned, struggling against the magic. Twilight was silent, as she cuffed his hands, dropping him.

"Don't make this worse, Spike. Trust me." Twilight said. "Just go with it." She continued. Spike got up with a frown. He was still heavily injured from his long battle against the demons.

"Take him to the square, guards. We will judge the damage and scale the punishment." Shining Armor ordered. Others scattered to make preparations, while Twilight watched on fearfully. Spike let his body go limp, forcing them to drag him over.

[ _Several Minutes Later…_ ]

Spike was upon a stage, standing in front of a crowd of hundreds of furious and anxious citizens from all over Equestria. There were several camera flashes, as this was sure to be an amazing news story.

"Spike the Dragon, Hero of Ponyville. Take a look at the images produced." Celestia ordered. Above them, a slew of images were played by Celestia's magic, showing whole blotches of forests wiped out by fire, some burned parts of houses, and even injuries to people who were caught in fires that spread.

"All caused by you. A hero meant to protect the people. Tell me, Spike, what are you to do as a champion of the Royal-Guard?" Celestia questioned.

Only after seeing the images of what he had done, had Spike begun to feel the guilt. He was so tied up in his emotion, his foolish follies with his emotion over the situation with Rarity, that he had acted recklessly in his pursue of the demons. In retrospect, he didn't expect his actions to be so severe, but he violated the one thing he had left now: his status and his allegiance to the people.

"I am to protect the people from physical harm. Never to be the cause of the physical harm." Spike recited.

"You understand why the punishment is just, then?" Celestia questioned.

He nodded, bowing his head in disappointment. Not in anyone else, but only himself. He was upset that he had recklessly let his emotion out in the fires that consumed valuable forestation and even injured people and precious property. As he bowed his head, he could see Rarity in the crowd, with Sweetie-Belle close by. "So they were here too…" Spike thought.

"The punishment for domestic violence of this scale is… Unfortunately, Spike the Dragon, exile." Princess Celestia said.

Spike was undeterred. He hadn't a home to go to anymore anyway, he was likely to live off in the wild at this rate.

"As such, you will lose your status and anything that belongs to the Royal-Guard. This includes your armor and your cape of allegiance." Principal Cadence continued, as Shining Armor reluctantly shed the dragon's armor, and removed his cape, leaving him in only the ragged under-suit of the armor that clung to his built body.

"Your things have been gathered, Dragon. You will leave immediately." Princess Luna spoke, as a bag floated over next to him, packed with things.

"Do you have any last words, before you are exiled, Spike?" Princess Twilight questioned, trotting up to him, and putting a hoof on his shoulder.

"Zecora's Hut." Twilight said under her breath in a low cough, as she removed her hoof from his shoulder.

Spike nodded, before turning to the crowd in front of him.

"I have nothing to say, besides that I am sorry." His eyes fell on Rarity, before quickly averting to the other hundreds of ponies in the crowd. "I only acted so rashly because I lost everything dear to me. Something I fought years for, something I wished to have dearly, was grabbed from me right under my nose. But, as I learned in the Royal-Guard, not every battle can be won. This was no exception. I suppose this exile is the loser's punishment." Spike said with a rather hopeless smile, feeling his eyes water. But he held the salty tears away with a hard stare. A hero, a soldier was not meant to show such emotion.

"Congratulations to the winners. It would seem that the loser is truly that. If it brings any feeling of content to any who are upset with me, I do, truly lose everything after this. My friends… My Home… My…" Spike looked at Rarity again. "My everything." Spike said.

"Maybe in the cold life of an exiled, I will realize my mistake, if that is what you, the people, wish for. Maybe, I will be blotted out of existence. I don't know what awaits me now. But I want to say this: if you take into consideration the bitter feelings I had, then you may be a little patient and more sympathetic to the situation and understand the lamentation, but…" Spike continued on, his voice starting to get weaker.

"But fuck it." He said crudely. His hopeless smile and watery eyes looked up again, as his features only grew bitterer. He kept his smile, vowing that he would go out with a smile on his face, at the very least.

"Life's handing you lemons, make lemonade then, huh? But if I couldn't please just one person, how will I please all the rest then?" Spike rhetorically asked in a manner that was cryptic for all but the four (Sweetie-Belle, Rarity, Cherry-Top, and Twilight) who understood, as his smile quivered.

"That's… Enough." Shining Armor said, swabbing the corner of his eye. He didn't understand one thing, but the tone and mood was enough to evoke emotion. The guards lifted Spike, and dragged him off the stage, beyond the following crowd.

They brought him to the far outskirts of Ponyville, as the crowd behind him watched intently. They unlocked his shackles, as they dropped on the floor.

"Spike the Dragon, it is with a heavy heart that I now declare you… Exiled. If you are found in any province under Equestrian rule, you will be apprehended and be done with as is seen fit by the authority. Any that associate with you will be apprehended and labeled as Exiled as well. Hopefully, you may prove yourself worthy again. Until then, Equestria bids you farewell." Princess Celestia spoke with authority, as she turned and walked away.

"Good luck, Dragon. We are not heartless, we know something is wrong here, but we cannot risk putting our people in danger, nor can we risk making them feel uncomfortable by having you run around freely without punishment any longer." Principal Luna said to Spike, following her sister shortly after.

"I don't know what's wrong, Spike, but I hope that you can be with us soon again. Please, be more careful with how you use that power you have; we both know it's gnarly, but you've gotta rationalize it." Shining Armor said, walking off with Cadence.

Twilight was the last. They looked at each other. Twilight mouthed "Sunset" to Spike, indicating when he should head to Zecora's Hut.

"I'm going to have a nice, long talk with Rarity. She's really bonked this one up! Don't worry Spike, I'll try my best for you, just stay out of trouble." Twilight said, walking off.

Spike picked up his bag of belongings and fastened it over his shoulder. He watched as the crowd walked away, and he was left alone outside the city, nobody with him anymore. He could feel the tears well up, as he was left all alone.

He walked the opposite way, knowing that this was it. He was Spike, the Exiled. The first to ever be exiled. He was an example, and a loser.

He walked a fair distance and sat beside a tree in a fairly forested area. He was alone, he was finally alone.

As he realized this, the dragon sat against the tree and let his tears flow. The dragon was twenty-four years of age. He had been chasing after Rarity since he was nine. All those years of investment, all those years of emotion, all those years of effort, all those memories… Gone.

He was exiled, stripped of his hero status, and none could help him without him dragging them down with him. He felt hopeless. He didn't have the courage to move anymore, so he figured he would simply sleep here. To be truthful, he didn't know where his life was headed now.

"I'll probably just off myself fighting evil, I guess." He thought bitterly.

"Not like my heart isn't already dead." He thought some more.

"Yeah, maybe I'll just do that. I'm never letting anyone into my head and heart again. I will never let myself feel like this again, not even the day I die. I will become a perfect hero that lives only to protect, or die trying. And these feelings, these emotions? I will suppress them, never allowing them to resurface. They are only a plague, something that I should not dabble in. This is it… The start of my solo adventure. Maybe it is better that I am exiled… At least this way, I am bound to never have an opportunity to love again. Yes, that is best, because…" Spike thought, slowly falling into a slumber.

" **You will make yourself a pawn, a soldier, a sacrifice for the millions of lives you wish to protect. You will lock away such useless emotions. They are the worst burden a hero can have. Clearly, you have finally realized this, and may finally assume the level of protection you aspire.** ** _You_** **made this decision. This is what** ** _you_** **will pursue. This is what** ** _you_** ** _want_** **. Because, A Hero's Not Fit For Love.** " Spike's subconscious etched this into his mind, changing his being as he slept.

 _This was to be the new Spike. This was his philosophy, this was his belief. This would be his religion, and his cult. This was the path he would walk alone, never to trust anyone in his heart again. Not all will understand, or perhaps, are not capable of understanding, but this? This, is the beginning of… A Hero's Lament…_


	2. A Hero's Desolation (Chapter 2)

**A Hero's Desolation**

" _In this day and age, people need heroes. Tirek, Discord, and Queen Chrysalis are perfect examples why._

 _I will answer that need. I am nothing more than an instrument meant to protect: nothing more than property to my Princess Twilight. Nothing more than a tool exiled from its shed, but still fully wanting to serve its purpose._

 _I have no worthiness to prove. I have no want, no desire to have people be grateful or loving towards me. These are follies, flaws that will only serve to weaken me. Thus, I shan't return to them... It would be for their best... I suppose... This brings upon a_ _ **revelation**_ _…_

 _I am a Hero. A_ _Lone_ _Hero. I will fight,_ _alone_ _. I will protect them,_ _alone_ _. I will hurt,_ _alone_ _. I will suffer,_ _alone_ _. I will cry,_ _alone_ _. I will heal,_ _alone_ _. I will_ _ **die,**_ _ **alone**_ _. . ._

 ** _I. Am. Alone._** "

~ **Spike, The Exiled**

* * *

Spike was in his depressed sleep. Although he had refused to show the emotion, it was hard to deny that he felt it. He tossed over this way and that, having heart-wrenching realization within his dream that marrying the mare of his dreams was a now foreign idea: exiled, just as he had been.

He shuffled on the hard, earthy ground, his dream disturbing him…

* * *

[ _Within The Young Dragon's Dream…_ ]

The dragon stood behind the counter in the entrance of the house, peering into the living room. He was watching Rarity and Cherry-Top sexually engage each other, whispering sweet, loving, nothings into each other's ears.

Spike was frozen behind the counter, watching them beyond its frame. He was devastated, at what was happening right in his eyes. Spike began to put his hand through the counter's frame, in an attempt to stop this madness.

However, he touched glass, and as he observed his surroundings, he was in a pitch-black space, looking into a mirror, which was what the counter's frame transformed to. From within the mirror, Rarity dismounted Cherry-Top, and walked up to the mirror, facing Spike.

"Rarity, what's the meaning of this?" Spike asked, hurt, as if this was his first time realizing that he was being cheated on.

"It's not what it looks like Spike, I love you!" Rarity cried out in a plea. Though her voice sounded sincere, a rather indifferent look was on her face, as if she didn't care.

"Are you kidding? Lying to me in my face, after I watched you do that?! Did you think I wouldn't find out?" Spike questioned, hurt.

"Spike, it's not what it looks like, I promise!" Rarity said, her face still one of indifference.

"You were such a waste of time!" Spike cried out, pissed and hurt. How bad it hurt! He turned in anger, about to float off into the pitch-black darkness.

"Spike, I love you…" Rarity said, putting her hoof onto the glass of the other side of the mirror.

Spike turned back, a sudden look of anger on his face.

"It's a lie!" he cried out, punching the mirror, as it cracked slightly. The image of Rarity dissipated, and now showed his own reflection. He felt the pain from punching the mirror, as if he was beating himself up.

"IT'S A LIE!" Spike yelled again, punching the mirror again, as it cracked more, turning the reflection into several Spikes. He could feel the pain in him multiply as he punched at his reflection.

" **IT'S A LIE!** " Spike roared, as he gave the mirror one final punch, shattering it into many pieces. He felt his own being break into the many pieces that the mirror shattered into, as he watched the reflections of him drop into the pitch-black, unassailable darkness that surrounded him.

He panted heavily, as he sat there, alone in the darkness. The mirror and reflections of himself gone into the black abyss. As he looked down at his body and arms, he realized that they were shattered and broken, just as the mirror had been.

 **"** **Will you not learn…?"** the familiar voice spoke… His subconscious. However, it seemed foreign to him.

In an instant, he dropped into the dark abyss, and landed on something hard and solid, further rupturing his already shattered body.

As he stood, he saw a version of himself, but it was drained of color, and had a jet-black aura around it. It was silent, without a mouth, and only black darkness for eyes, and crimson red for its pupils.

 **"** **This is what you make us to be. This is what you will bring us to. Was this what you'd have wanted?"** the familiar voice spoke.

 **"** **How fragile."** It said, as a tentacle whipped from its jet-black aura. It barely whipped at Spike, but when contact was made, Spike's body shattered into many tiny pieces, floating off into the black abyss, as darkness consumed his consciousness…

…

* * *

[ _Back Into The Material World…_ ]

Shuffling was heard around Spike; he stirred slightly, looking around. As he looked around, he noticed it was pitch-black dark… Dark… Midnight…

"Wait, midnight?! Oh crap, I totally forgot to meet Twilight!" Spike cursed, gathering his things in a frantic rush. He heard the rustling again, and this time, was sure that it wasn't his drowsy-state, now that he was fully-alert.

Spike reached for the hilt of the dagger strapped to the back of his waist. He heard the rustling continue.

"Identify yourself. I will not hesitate to strike if you confront me." Spike called out in warning. This time, he heard another rustle, one behind him. Spike now carefully paid attention to both.

"This is your final chance to come out now. I will not hesitate to strike, I repeat, I will _not_ hesitate." Spike said in fair warning.

He saw a figure walk out from the bushes into the darkness. "Spike, calm down, it's me." The figure said in a sweet, alluring voice.

As she stepped closer, the figure came into clearer vision.

"Where have you been, Spike? Twilight sent me, she's worried to death about you!" Sweetie-Belle asked, worry on her voice.

Spike began to warm up quickly, a smile coming to his face. He was worried for? That felt so nice, a feeling he was sure he wouldn't've felt again, after… Oh, never mind that. He was about to walk up and speak casually, until he remembered…

Spike had almost made a mistake. He almost screwed up and it wasn't even far into his exile yet. He almost opened himself for a connection. A connection he knew he shouldn't make: a connection that could possibly break him again. He didn't want to go through something like that again. It hurt too much, and truthfully, it still did.

He stepped back from Sweetie-Belle slightly, wiping the smile from his face and refusing to assume the comfortable atmosphere. A hero was protection, nothing more. Not a friend, just… a Hero.

"I overslept irresponsibly. Twilight has no need to worry, she should know that I will do my job without fail." Spike said professionally, as he strapped on his bag, securing the dagger onto the back of his waist. Most of his other weapons were the Royal-Guard's, and as such, were confiscated. All he had now was a dagger and some utilities.

"So… Shall we go to Zecora's Hut then? Let the Princess know you're okay?" Sweetie-Belle suggested.

"That would be best. She has information for me anyhow, it would probably be imperative that I hear it out. You can leave now, Sweetie-Belle." Spike said, not once making eye contact with her, as he began to walk the path to the Everfree Forest so that he could find Zecora and Twilight.

"Leave? But why? Why would I leave you?" Sweetie-Belle asked with worry, trotting towards Spike. His lack of emotion and his seclusion worried her.

"You have fulfilled your assignment of relaying the information to me. Your job is done. You may leave me alone now." Spike said in a militaristic manner.

"Spike, I don't want to leave you alone! Aren't you hungry? Tired perhaps? Don't you even just want someone to talk to?" Sweetie-Belle asked, giving off a tone of pity, as she trotted closer to him.

Spike held his palm out to her face, stopping her. His face was solemn and unreadable.

"I am Exiled. What are you even doing here in the first place?" Spike asked with a hard stare.

"What do you mean, Spike? Why wouldn't I be here, supporting you, my friend?" Sweetie-Belle asked.

"Are you deaf, Sweetie-Belle? Blind, perhaps? Unperceiving? I know you were there at my exile when they made an example of me. You know what happens to those who dare associate themselves with an exile. It is an act of subtle treason, and would not be forgiven." Spike spoke.

"Go home, Sweetie-Belle, you've done enough." Spike said simply, walking off and beginning to leave Sweetie-Belle. However, she followed. Spike stopped. Sweetie-Belle stopped.

"I'm not going home, Spike. I'm with you, not them." Sweetie-Belle said adamantly.

"Why do you want to be with me? So I can fail to please you too? So I can simply not be good enough for you in the end? So that you could betray me, and make me feel like shit, when I tried my hardest? So I can let you down, too?" Spike began, turning to Sweetie-Belle with bent eyebrows. His eyes betrayed his desire to not show emotion, and so did his words.

"No, you're _not_ with me, Sweetie-Belle. Your allegiance is to the kingdom, not some exile that will soon be forgotten and unloved. You deserve better, and I know it." Spike said, his voice finally assuming emotion. Sweetie-Belle cringed at that last sentence.

"Go home. Go find someone worth the sacrifice. I'll just fight and fight till I die anyway, then I'll be forgotten like everyone else rotting in the ground. It's not like…" Spike began, as his voice wavered more, as his eyes became shiny.

"It's not like I have anything to offer you anyway. Not in this sorry state…" Spike began. He cursed under his breath and shook his head, mentally scolding himself for breaking character. Sweetie-Belled watched him, feeling the hurt dragon's emotions, even from the distance between them.

Returning to his professional, solemn mood, Spike turned to Sweetie-Belle again, with a hard stare.

"Spike, let me help you, please!" Sweetie-Belle requested.

"I am exiled. You have no business with me. Go back to Ponyville. Every second you walk with me is only a danger you commit to yourself." Spike spoke.

Sweetie-Belle refused to move, standing across from Spike.

"Sweetie-Belle, I am _ordering_ you to go home. You have no business with me. As per my allegiance to the people, I urge you to stay safe by not associating with me. Go. Home." Spike said, turning and walking on.

He sighed when he sensed the girl following him adamantly. Sweetie-Belle fell into a deep thought.

"Twilight was right… He acts tough, but the poor thing is hurting so bad on the inside… And even then, he wants nothing but to protect us! How sweet, yet how sad! Rarity, when Twilight and I get back, you're gonna get taught a good lesson! If you thought today was the end of it, you've got another thing coming!" Sweetie-Belle thought in silence, distracting her from the outside world.

In an attempt to distract himself from the painful thoughts, he let his mind wander to what happened after his exile? With Twilight? With Rarity…? Did anybody even care…?

"I wonder…" Spike mused, letting his mind wander…

* * *

[ _Several Hours Earlier, Closely Following Spike's Exile…_ ]

Twilight looked back over her shoulder, watching Spike trudge off into the distance. She felt her blood boil inside. She didn't care for her duties anymore, Rarity needed to be talked to, _pronto_!

Twilight couldn't help but have a blind rage for Rarity at the moment. She was such a horrible partner! Always caught up in old affairs, prancing around with that red mare.

Rarity was the reason **her** Hero just got exiled. Wherever she was, she was about to learn a thing or two! Twilight angrily trotted beyond Celestia, Luna, and the other high-authorities.

She knew she saw Rarity in the crowd with Sweetie-Belle… Where were they?!

She trotted round the streets, the thoughts coming into her head angering her by the minute.

" _It's not her fault, Twilight. It's mine. Maybe it's because I always leave on frequent trips to fight for Equestria. Or maybe, it's because I can't fully dedicate myself to her, as I am a hero. Perhaps it was because_ _ **A Hero's Not Fit For Love**_ _, and I simply was_ _ **not deserving of receiving, or capable of returning, Rarity's love**_ _. Clearly,_ _ **Cherry-Top will please her better than I could ever wish to**_ _._ " The words replayed in Twilight's head, as she trotted round the streets more angrily.

"Oh-ho-ho, that whore's gonna get a goddamn earful!" Twilight thought angrily, as more memories of Spike's words came into her head.

" _I cannot risk your kingdom for such_ _ **idiotic, useless feelings**_ _, Twilight. I will be what I was meant to be, and feel what I am meant to feel: a drive to protect, and that's all I will ever do, understood?_ " Twilight only became more enraged. Rarity had caused this: she made him feel like this. She made him do this. She would make her pay. Not today, but in the long-run, she would pay so dearly…

" _It doesn't matter._ _ **A Hero is merely an instrument, meant to protect. Love and care are unneeded burdens**_ _. I will serve my purpose, Princess._ " Twilight's mind got stuck on the two middle sentences, as she felt her blood boil. How dare she make **her** Spike feel like that!? How dare she exile **her** Hero!? How dare she toy with **her** Champion's feelings!?

"How dare she hurt my lo-?!" Twilight began in her thought, but was ripped from her rage-induced thoughts by a yelling voice.

"Twilight!" a voice cried out. As Twilight turned, she saw Sweetie-Belle. "Sweetie-Belle, perfect!" Twilight called out, as the two met each other.

"Twilight, what's happened to Spike? He didn't really do all that, did he? What's going on?" Sweetie-Belle asked.

"I don't know what she did, but Rarity is going on. It seems like Rarity cheated again, on the day he was planning to propose!" Twilight said in exasperation, her brows furrowed in discontentment.

"Is that why that day was special? Oh no…" Sweetie-Belle murmured.

"Yeah. Sweetie-Belle, where is your sister?" Twilight demanded, her face showing emotions of anger, despite her best attempts to hide the flaring emotion.

"I'm not sure… We split after the gathering. She seemed frantic, like she wanted to avoid something." Sweetie-Belle said. Twilight grew a crooked, sly smile.

"Oh, she's not escaping a thing. Coming with me, Sweetie-Belle?" Twilight asked, as her wings spread. Sweetie-Belle nodded, as Twilight lifted the young mare onto her back, taking off.

They flew towards the only place they'd suspect she'd go: the very house Spike had purchased for the both of them. "Do you think… that Spike will be okay? You know, after this whole thing?" Sweetie-Belle asked.

"If there's anything I know about Spike, it's that the little guy is tough and resilient. He'll be back on his feet… I hope." Twilight said.

"Twilight, below us! It's Rarity! Few paces from the house!" Sweetie-Belle said, pointing down. Twilight descended swiftly, landing in front of Rarity.

Rarity trotted in place frantically being met with somewhat-pseudo-mother of Spike. Rarity tugged her ears down briefly, before calming down a bit, playing cool.

Twilight smiled. Her intuition and intellect would make a mess of this mare, and she would take pleasure in doing it.

"Hi Rarity!" Twilight greeted with a friendly smile, as Sweetie-Belle climbed off, glaring at her sister. Rarity got mixed feelings from the different reactions of the two, but decided it'd be best to play along for now.

"Oh, Twilight! What a pleasant surprise!" Rarity giggled. "And Sweetie-Belle! What a fine young mare you're growing into!" she complimented.

Sweetie-Belle grunted, ignoring her, while Rarity simply laughed it off, feeling a bit awkward.

"Anyway… It's such a tragedy what happened to poor Spike, isn't it? You must be hurting, huh?" Twilight said in a sad tone, walking up to Rarity and throwing her hoof around her neck in 'comfort'.

Rarity feigned a cry, dramatically putting her hoof over her forehead. "Oh yes, dear, it is quite tragic indeed! Who will I love at night anymore!?" Rarity 'woefully' cried out.

"Oh, you poor thing!" Twilight sighed. "How will you ever sleep at night knowing that you broke that poor dragon's heart a few nights ago?" Twilight cried out in a feigned woeful yell.

"W-what? W-w-what could you mean?" Rarity stammered, the hot guilt beginning to arise from her stomach.

"Yes, you must feel _devastated_ by the tragedy that now you're free to **whore** around with your ex in Spike's absence like you usually do; how _tragic_ it is that you can freely be the fucking **slut** that you were being the whole time you had such a great partner in your care." Twilight cried out in her feigned dramatic woeful shouts, releasing the anger she felt.

Rarity's heart hammered into her ribcage as she tried to feign statements and looks of confusion, but ultimately failed due to the rising feelings of guilt and shame encumbering her ability to even make a half-decent play of emotion.

"Fifteen years later and your acting's still horrid and overdramatized, sis." Sweetie-Belle snorted in disgust at her sister's display of dishonesty.

"Couldn't've said it better, Sweetie-Belle. I guess now you'll be free to love Berry-Bop or whatever her name is at night, now that Spike's gone for good, huh?" Twilight said, her friendly mannerisms dropping entirely.

Rarity stepped back from the two, feigning confusion. "W-what ever do you mean?" Rarity questioned.

"You know exactly what the hell I mean. Must I point out the part of you being a whore again? How many times have you done this shit without Spike finding you two?" Twilight said.

"To answer your question, I mean that you can go ahead and freely stab Spike in the back now that he won't ever return again! You can go sleep with your fucking whore friend, Rarity. Hope she's worth that great partner you lost. Hope she's worth all the friends you're gonna lose when everyone finds out about the _real_ reason Spike was out of control in pursuance of those demons. Hope it was a worth it, Rarity, I really do." Twilight scolded angrily.

"T-Twilight, darling…!" Rarity tried to make something up, but failed, backing away from the two.

"Rarity, I knew that sometimes you could be a bit… Snobbish, but this? Now you're just making yourself out to be an arrogant **bitch**." Twilight said, letting the word roll out of her mouth smoothly.

Rarity flinched at the insult. "You ever think what's going through Spike's head when you do this fucking nonsense?" Twilight said, slowly exerting her anger into speech. She walked towards Rarity, as Rarity backed away, Sweetie-Belle following closely.

"Do you understand how hurt he is when he comes crying to me that you've cheated _again and again_? Do you have any fucking idea how **hurt** he is every time he comes to me because of your bullshit?" Twilight questioned, getting closer to the retreating Rarity, whose ears were now laid back in shame and guilt.

"Do you ever realize how hard the poor kid tries, because he thinks he's not enough for some backstabbing bitch? That **He** , a hero with such an innocent heart and gold intentions, isn't good enough for some corrupt, betraying mare like **you**? Ridiculous!" Twilight said, pushing her face into Rarity's, causing her to stumble back. Twilight stepped over her, keeping her face close, as her nostrils flared and her wings extended in anger.

"Do you know what you're doing every time you go horse around with this mare every time he's gone on royal duty, which is, by the way, for the good of all of Equestria, further showing how much of an ungrateful cunt you are? You're betraying the person who fights for **you**! Risks his life for **you**! The person who does everything in his power for **you!** " Twilight yelled, as an unstable magical aura grew around her body.

" **You. Don't. Deserve. Him!"** Twilight yelled loudly in anger, stomping her hoof on the ground besides Rarity, as the magical aura released in a powerful blast, sending a powerful wind through the streets that sent small bits of debris flying and shook the ground mildly. Attention now turned to Twilight and Rarity, with Sweetie-Belle nearby. Rarity laid on her back, her chest heaving in fear, guilt, and shame, as tears started to run down her muzzle.

"As your Princess, I would like to respectfully request that you stay _far away_ from Spike. In fact, I will file a restraining order, and if you are caught in the same vicinity as him from this point on, I will personally apprehend and punish you, is that clear?" Twilight said. Rarity simply nodded, her crying too much for her to speak.

The guilt from what she had been doing now hit her in full-swing, and it did not feel good at all. Twilight stood over from her, folding her wings and walking beyond the crowd that had gathered.

Sweetie-Belle walked up and held her hoof out near Rarity. Rarity reached for it, but suddenly,

* _smack!_ *

Sweetie-Belle had swung her hoof across Rarity's face, slightly swelling her cheek.

"Spike deserves so much better than you. You're my sister, and you carry a part of you with me when you act. So please, learn from this, and never tarnish my name again. I'm almost ashamed to be your sister. I hope you know that it's your fault Spike's been exiled. I don't hate you, but I sure as hell don't like you right now Rarity." Sweetie-Belle began, leaving the shocked Rarity on the ground.

"I don't know what the hell is wrong with you, but take this, sister-to-sister: get your shit together, and do what's right from here on in. Oh, and be prepared for the inevitable consequences when people realize this whole exile thing was on you." Sweetie-Belle finished, walking off with Twilight.

Rarity was left on the ground, the curious crowd's beady eyes burning holes into her skin. The embarrassment, shame, and guilt made her body feel as if it reached over 1000 degrees Celsius. She itched all over abnormally, and tears ran down her muzzle. She was left there, to think, learn, and be punished… "What have I been doing…? What have I done…? What will become of me…?" Rarity questioned silently, picking herself up slowly. She decided she would need to have a talk with Cherry-Top about their future…

…

…

…

As Sweetie-Belle caught up with Twilight, she breathed out slowly.

"Think she'll learn from this mistake, or…?" Sweetie-Belle questioned.

"I don't know, but I do know that I wanted to do so much more to her… If I didn't have to be a Princess, she'd have likely left that conversation in stitches." Twilight muttered between her gritted teeth. Sweetie-Belle gave a small, uncomfortable smile in response.

"You sure do feel strongly for Spike, huh?" Sweetie-Belle commented, noticing Twilight's excessive anger.

Twilight blushed, immediately calming down. "Look, he's just my guard and my hero. I don't like having what's mine being taken from me!" Twilight said, hiding her red cheeks.

"Yours?" Sweetie-Belle asked, with a slight curiosity.

"What I mean is… He's special to me… I mean that as in he's under my command special to me, and um… Gosh, look, you know what I meant, Sweetie-Belle." Twilight said, fumbling over her choice of words.

"Hm… I see." Sweetie-Belle hummed, a knowing smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "What now?" Sweetie-Belle asked, as they walked aimlessly through the streets of Ponyville.

Twilight stopped suddenly and faced her. "I told Spike to meet me at Zecora's Hut. We need a way to get there discreetly… People won't just take their eyes off of me; not after this." Twilight explained.

"Hm… You're right. But even if you do manage to sneak out, how will you explain your sudden absence?" Sweetie-Belle questioned.

"Oh, dear Sweetie-Belle, can't you see that my soul is woefully struck by the exile of my hero and bestest-friend ever? Of course I would seclude myself for the night!" Twilight cried out dramatically, winking at Sweetie-Belle.

"Oh, I see… Let's go scour your castle's library for some useful camouflage spells then." Sweetie-Belle suggested.

Twilight shook her head in disagreement. "You do that. I need to start studying on how to legally bring Spike out of exile. There's gotta be a way other than "proving himself worthy". There's just gotta be! I know he didn't do what he did on purpose, and even the others know it too. The people don't realize that without Spike, we're in a danger… The Elements of Harmony are no longer free of responsibility: we lead our own lives now… Without a Hero, a constant guard-" Twilight began, but Sweetie-Belle shushed her.

"I get it. Let's split up, I don't want Spike out there in the wild all alone… Poor guy must be hurting. Let's make him feel welcome at Zecora's Hut when we meet there, okay?"

"Understood and agreed. Good luck Sweetie-Belle." Twilight said, walking off to do some last-minute negotiations with her fellow royal-authorities, who were set to depart within the hour, now that the impromptu exile ceremony had come to an end.

* * *

[ _Back To The Present With Spike and Sweetie-Belle…_ ]

Spike and Sweetie-Belle both walked, both in deep thought. They walked a distance from each other, as Spike still refused to have Sweetie-Belle close to him, while Sweetie-Belle adamantly followed.

Spike was shredded from his thought however, when his senses tingled, and his intuition nagged at him. He looked around in the pitch black darkness of the night… It was cloudy, preventing most of the moonlight. He eyed around Sweetie-Belle, and then spotted a shadowy figure suddenly appear behind her, approaching the mare.

"Sweetie-Belle, watch out!" Spike yelled out. Bashing Sweetie-Belle to the side, Spike took the impact of whatever he warned her about.

As Sweetie-Belle flew back through the air, she saw Spike get slashed right across the chest by another pony wielding a dagger in its hoof. Luckily, the small padding of his tight leathery under-armor (resembling a tight agent spandex-like suit) highly minimized the weak slash. It looked like a no-good bandit was the culprit. Its face was masked.

Spike flew back, sliding across the ground, clutching his bleeding chest.

"No fucking armor… Shit." He muttered in pain.

"Spike!" Sweetie-Belle called in worry.

"Sweetie-Belle, stay back!" Spike said. As they looked around, 5 more bandits showed up, some unicorns, some earth ponies.

A few of them wielded more dangerous weapons, such as swords and spiked/bladed maces.

"Well, well, well, boys. Look what we have here! An old, exiled hero… He 'oughta have some riches with him, huh?" the bandit said, as they all surrounded Spike.

"Tch!" Spike hissed, as he remembered when Sweetie-Belle first came to him… There were most definitely two different rustles in those bushes… She was followed.

The one who attacked Sweetie-Belle looked to be the leader. He wore a black fedora and was in a suit and tie. The rest were dressed quite formally as well, despite being nothing more than no-good bandits.

"Got a lot 'ah riches kid? Let's have a look through the bag, hm?" the leader spoke, closing in the circle on Spike.

Spike was undeterred. He had fought the most powerful of creatures; the sorry bastards wouldn't even last a full minute. He didn't even bother to unsheathe his dagger.

"Look, you guys are making a big mistake right now. I would say leave now, and it'd be alright, but it's clear you shouldn't be walking these roads free. Let's make this nice and quick, huh?" Spike proposed, with a small smile. "Been looking for a stress-reliever anyhow." Spike said, rotating his shoulder.

"Oh, he's real confident, haha! What, did you think we'd singlehandedly take on one of Equestria's most powerful head-on? Come on kid, grow up." The leader spoke. He stood on his hind legs and clopped his hooves together twice.

"Oi, that's your cue!" he said out-loud.

In an instant, Spike heard Sweetie-Belle yelp, as the bandits backed off from Spike. One held a knife to her throat, while two others guarded her with swords. The rest stood not far from her, cocky and arrogant smiles on their faces.

Spike's face stayed neutral. He'd been down this road before. He eyed the 7 bandits, attempting to devise a plan.

"Spike! Spike!" Sweetie-Belle yelled in fair, feeling the cold, sharp metal against her neck.

"Alright kid, now hand over the bag, and this pretty lady might just survive." The leader spoke, standing in front of the group. The one holding the knife to Sweetie-Belle's neck pushed it against her neck, causing a slight cut, forcing Sweetie-Belle to lift her neck higher to avoid the blade.

"And make it quick, my boys are real blood-thirsty." He said with a chuckle.

Without hesitation, Spike removed his bag of his personal riches and mementos, and tossed it over. The stallion caught it with his mouth, and then kicked it back.

"Good, good. Bambino, toss it." The leader spoke, gesturing towards Spike with his head. Suddenly, a sword slid over to Spike, lying there in the grass.

Spike looked up, confused. "Won't you release her?" he asked.

"Not while you're still standing. Now here's what I want you to do: I need you to pick up that sword, and impale yourself, right in the gut. Make it pass all the way through too, I don't want no bullshit kid, clear? Either that, or you'll see this pretty lass' throat slit and witness her body grow cold with death." The leader spoke, as the air became tense and thick.

There was an eerie silence, as Spike and Sweetie-Belle's shaking pupils met.

Tears began to drop down Sweetie-Belle's face. "Sp-Spike…! Don't d-d-do it! Th-they need you!" Sweetie-Belle cried, realizing that she would have to be the sacrifice here for the better-good.

Spike picked up the sword, as it shone in the moonlight. His face was unchanged.

"Spike, no!" Sweetie-Belle cried, attempting to free herself. "Sp-Spike, don't do it!" Sweetie-Belle cried.

Spike held the sword high, aimed at his gut. His face wrenched into one of determination and resolve.

"If a Hero cannot protect just one of his people…" Spike began, looking on with a hard face.

"Then how will he protect them all?" He asked rhetorically.

" **Honor! Valor! Allegiance!** " Spike yelled heartily into the night.

"That is what Shining Armor insisted we have before we were deemed worthy of the Royal-Guard." Spike said, as the blade shook in his hands. His lips started to quiver a bit as well.

" **Honor** thy kingdom, serve it well! Have an infinite reservoir of **Valor** to combat the Darkness opposing the kingdom and its people! **Allegiance** must always be with the Princesses and Her Peoples." Spike said, as the blade shook more. His mouth and voice wiggled as he spoke.

"The boy's scared." One of the bandits commented.

"I. Am. **Worthy!** " Spike yelled, as he began to bring the blade towards his gut.

* _Schling!_ *

All that was seen in the moonlight was the back-end of a redly-painted metal sword. As the camera panned down, it showed Spike, the sword lodged into his body, as his pupils dilated and shook. Blood leaked down the corners of his mouth as well.

"By and by, the idiot actually did it!" the leader laughed cruelly.

" **SPIKE!** " Sweetie-Belle yelled in horror, as Spike fell to his knees, the pain crippling him.

She bashed the face of the bandit holding the knife to her neck, allowing her to run to Spike. Tears dropped all over Spike as Sweetie-Belle frantically paced to-and-fro in front of him, not knowing what to do.

"W-w-why Spike?! I said let them take me! Spike, Spike…!" Sweetie-Belle cried, drooping onto the floor.

Spike's wound leaked thick drops of blood. He could feel himself weaken.

"Oh, Spike! I should've listened to you! I should've left when you told me to! I'm so sorry, Spike!" she sobbed, tears running frantically down her face, as she looked at the impaled Spike.

Spike's hand made it to Sweetie-Belle's mane, messing up her hair with the blood. But she didn't care. She looked up at him with her teary-eyes.

"You… You are…" Spike began, speaking with a wheeze.

"… the little sister… of someone so, so special… You are a person of the kingdom… who required protection…" Spike began. Suddenly, he punched the ground hard, making a small (yet large for the size of his fist) crater in the earth.

"Besides…" Spike started, beginning to stand up and face the bandits. Sweetie-Belle's lips trembled at Spike's words.

"If I can't… Protect one person…" Spike began, as both of his hands shakily took the hilt of the sword lodged within him.

"Then how… How could I ever be worthy…?" Spike asked, sliding the sword out inch-by-inch, as he groaned in pain, the blood coming faster as the sword began to leave him.

"Spike... Why? Why would you do it…? Stop, stop! You don't have to move!" Sweetie-Belle cried.

"You don't understand… What a Hero is…" Spike said, as he pulled out the sword in one extremely swift move.

"AGGHCK!" Spike yelled, as blood splattered across the ground from him. He stumbled a bit, holding the sword with his heavy eyes, as blood dripped from his wound.

"Well, well, well… It seems the media really doesn't oversell you propaganda. You're everything they said you were. Too bad this is your end." The leader spoke, as the bandits approached him.

"Stay back, Sweetie-Belle… I mean it." Spike spoke with a wheeze, as his shoulders heaved in hard breaths.

"What can you do in this state?" the leader laughed. "You're no good to the world like that." He said, laughing it up.

"You sick bastard. You're no good to the world when you would sacrifice a life for riches. Move on to the next life, maybe you'll learn a thing or two there." Spike said simply. Despite his injury, in a quick move, he was already in front of the stallion.

In a swift move, he slashed upwards at the pony's shoulder, as his left front-hoof came _clean_ off. Blood spurted and gushed out, as the stallion cried in agony. The other bandits watched in surprise.

"Agghhh!" The stallion yelled in pain and horror at Spike's impossible speed. He swing the dagger at Spike with his only fore-hoof. Spike simply sidestepped it and slashed his other shoulder clean off, as blood splattered out from that appendage as well.

He fell onto the floor, no longer having balance without his front-hooves, as blood leaked from his severed arms and his face grew pale. Spike made sure he felt the suffering he had felt from the wounds that now lay in his body.

"Oh-ho-ho my goodness, just kill me!" the leader yelled in agony at the pain. The other stallions all looked at each other, waiting for the other to interfere first.

Before they could react, Spike then took the sword, and jammed it into the stallion's throat, as his screams of agony fell silent. Spike took the sword out and watched the lifeless body with not a single drop of remorse, as he held his own stomach, blood still leaking from it.

The other bandits watched in horror at Spike's combat finesse. They hadn't even seen him move from his position! And the way he easily and fearlessly approached the man and dodged his attack! This Hero was a seasoned killer…

"It's one guy, get him!" One bandit yelled, as they all ran at him.

Spike coughed up blood, his wound affecting him worse.

"Only 6 more… Live until then, Hero…" Spike thought to himself, witnessing his vision haze.

He ducked under the slash of one, then jammed the sword into his abdomen, puncturing his lung. He had no time to pick up the sword, as another swung at him with the bladed mace. Spike caught the handle of it, and pushed the weapon back into his forehead, disarming him in the disorientation.

In another instance, he side-stepped past the stab of another, slamming the mace into his skull, as he dropped, silent.

"Come the fuck on, guys! He's just one person! Get your shit together!" one yelled to the other three still standing.

Spike unsheathed the dagger that lay on the back of his waist, as the four surrounded him. Spike stumbled, and his visions started to double and triple, as he felt blood trail down his body. He coughed and spluttered up more blood, feeling ever-weaker.

Before they could make the first move, Spike ran at one, dodging the swing of his mace and slashing his throat. The man's throat whistled as he screamed, before it grew silent.

Another stabbed at Spike, but in an agile manner, Spike side-stepped and twirled around to his back, grabbing both of his hooves that wielded the sword. In a display of brute strength, Spike broke his front-hooves to bend backwards, and forced his own hooves to lodge the sword into his body, as he dropped silent as well.

The other two watched Spike in horror. He was too skilled for the lowly bandits.

One backed away. Spike shook his head, and tossed his dagger at the stallion that attempted to flee. The dagger lodged itself into the back of his hind-hoof, as he dropped. Spike jumped over him, as he sucked in his breath. In a powerful breath, Spike roasted the (poor) bandit into a being of black and burnt flesh.

The final one, wielding a sword, knew running wouldn't work, so he confronted Spike. He ran at him, slashing and stabbing crazily, while Spike dodged seamlessly, his reaction-time far surpassing the bandit's own.

As the bandit slashed downwards at Spike, Spike smiled, finding his opening. He jumped above the blade, and stomped on the top of it, causing it to flip out of the bandit's hooves, into the air. Spike skillfully caught it, and mercilessly slashed right through the neck of the bandit, rendering him headless, as he too, dropped.

Spike stepped back in pain. He then stumbled back, the pain overwhelming him, finally. He could see the trail of death he left in just under two minutes, but he was not unfamiliar with it. It was a Hero's job and duty to make sure those who threatened lives were not to walk this plane of existence. The townspeople have witnessed this death many times before; though, Spike had never made them witness gruesomeness such as this. He usually made it a point to make his killings much cleaner, but they tried to hurt Sweetie-Belle… A sister of someone special… They tried to hurt someone who still cared for him. That was unacceptable.

Sweetie-Belle ran up, and hugged Spike from behind, her tears soaking his back, as the wound on his back put blood onto her coat.

"Spike, why?! Why are you forcing yourself? You were injured! You should've just let them take me! L-look at you!" she cried, gesturing to his nasty wounds. A hole in the front and back, from the sword, was defacing his body.

Spike stood, as he stumbled over towards his belongings, including his bag and dagger, picking them up from the deceased bandits. He then began to stumble towards the Everfree Forest again, ignoring Sweetie-Belle, probably because he was too weak to speak.

"Spike…" Sweetie-Belle said lowly.

"What if you don't…?" Sweetie-Belle asked in horror.

Spike held his hand in front of Sweetie-Belle, as his face stayed in its hard position.

"You don't understand what a Hero is, Sweetie-Belle. We don't feel pain unless those we are destined to protect feel it. This is nothing but a flesh wound. You are mostly untouched, and as such, I am happy. A Hero is nothing more than an instrument, a tool, meant to protect and serve. I did just that. Whether or not I make it after this is inconsequential, as long as you are safe." Spike said, stumbling over as he walked. The pains started to get to him, as he felt his body begin to lose feeling.

Sweetie-Belle was silent. She wasn't sure how Spike thought, or why, but she knew he was much more than some tool. Although she knew this was far from the time for this, she noticed how the moonlight shone upon the Exiled Hero.

"I can't believe he really impaled himself, without a second thought, for me." Sweetie-Belle thought, her heart thumping, as she helped the stumbling hero towards Zecora's Hut.

She noticed how the under-armor clutched against his defined body, and she could feel how sturdily his career built him. She blushed under the close proximity of the two, as she aided him in walking, his wound crippling him slightly.

Sweetie-Belle violently shook her head, scolding herself for getting lovey-dovey. This was no time to be affiliated with this petty crush on Spike! She had to help him get to the Hut, pronto, before he bled out!

Spike walked on, trying to gather his focus. He could feel the blood soak his hand, as he tried his best to cover the nasty wound.

"A life well-spent…" he recited.

[ _Some minutes later…_ ]

"Spike, Spike please! You have to keep going, we're just a few steps away!" Sweetie-Belle said in a plea.

Spike had lost almost all feeling, and his vision began to blur and blacken. He was trying to continue on, but kept stumbling back onto his face, as blood splattered from him each time he fell…

He struggled up again, as he coughed up more blood. Sweetie-Belle's heart wrenched in pain for the Hero.

Suddenly, Spike simply collapsed, as he lay there. Blood gushed from him in greater volumes, as his body lost the ability to further hold it in and clot the wound; he quickly gathered his own pool of blood in the spot. Everything was silent to him now. He could sense that Sweetie-Belle was trying to stir him, but all he felt now was darkness and comfort.

…

He now sensed that Sweetie-Belle was gone… Yes, he was hurting alone. Suffering alone…

He couldn't feel it, but he knew he was crying the warmth of his own blood. The tears dropped down, each one emphasizing his pains.

Although he would die protecting someone, he felt unfulfilled… Unloved… Unwanted… This was what a Hero was, I suppose… They never did live to see the happy ending… But knowing that they brought it was supposed to be the happiness…

But why couldn't he be happy? Why couldn't he smile? Why…?

 **"** **So naïve, so young, so immature. You hurt because you are alone. You cannot be happy, because you will die in the woods, bleeding out, alone, like the uncared-for instrument you are. Is this not what you wanted? To die protecting the people? Did you not yourself feel that you needed no recognition? No acceptance? No love? You are getting what you want. Surely, this will end that horrid pain that your ex-beloved caused you. Surely… this is what you wanted?"** It spoke.

The tears dropped more heavily from Spike's face, as the puddle of blood beneath him only grew thicker. He thought this would bring him happiness… That the death, the end of it all, would bring him happiness and contentment.

He felt that he would find relaxation in knowing that he tried, failed, and died doing something for a denizen of his kingdom, yet, all he experienced in this moment of death was a shelly feeling of incompletion, loneliness, and further depression. He felt like now, he needed to live… He _had_ to live… He did not want to feel so horrid in his final moments… However, as much as he tried to get up, he only fell back into his puddle of blood, splashing the red substance around him, and onto further parts of his body… He was over his limit.

 **"** **There is more, isn't there? Do you refuse it, or will you embrace it? Will you be too scared to accept what you clearly seek? Perhaps, you will pursue your life of a lonewolf, or perhaps, you will take another risk. Even I, your greatest intellect, do not now. I know this, though: you seek something beyond simply protecting the people. Whatever path you take, we should both know what you truly want… Realizing your desires is an unavoidable path. However, I am not even sure you will live past this. Perhaps, you will get what you thought you were seeking: perhaps you will die here, alone, unloved, and forgotten."** It spoke, as Spike's tears kept flowing.

 **"** **All Alone...** ** _Alone. Alone. Alone_** **."** It repeated, in a sort of agony. Its voice sounded altered, or malfunctioned.

 **"** **You will die,** ** _alone_** **."** It said, as Spike's senses and consciousness started to be devoured by the blackness and darkness of the ever-starving death…


End file.
